Maytag Salutes: Karen Donovan Godt

09 May, 2014

Name:

Karen Donovan Godt

Hometown:

Shaker Heights, Ohio

Why We’re Saluting Karen:

Karen is the founder and president of the Hope for Honduran Children Foundation, an organization with a mission to reduce poverty through education and social development for underserved youth in Honduras. She started the charity in 2004 after taking a medical mission trip to Honduras. On the trip, Karen and her husband met 24 teenagers who were seriously neglected, had no shoes, and had not eaten in four days. She explains, “In that very moment, my husband and I knew that our futures were changed forever and so we created the Hope for Honduran Children Foundation.”

Every year, Karen organizes six humanitarian trips a year where they work in five isolated villages in Honduras. The focus of the trips is to inspire, educate and challenge neglected adolescents to reach their full potential. In addition to supporting them with food, clothing, shelter, healthcare and education, the ultimate goal is to provide them with the necessary tools to become self-sufficient, caring, and responsible adults.

When asked about giving back to her community, Karen answers, “I have enjoyed a wonderful, loving and beautiful life. When I was confronted in 2004 by such catastrophic poverty, I knew it was time to ask ‘If not now, then when? If not me, then who?’”

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